PTC Therapeutics today announced new data suggesting that the quantification of cough frequency may offer a clinically meaningful outcome measure in cystic fibrosis. Cough is one of the most prominent and burdensome disease-related symptoms in CF. According to data presented today at the 2008 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society, patients with CF cough a remarkable 324 to 1,569 times per day, with an average of 643 coughs per day. In comparison, healthy individuals generally cough fewer than 16 times in an entire day, according to the European Respiratory Journal (Hsu 1994).

“The ability to quantify cough represents a significant step forward in our understanding of one of the most prominent symptoms of CF,” said Preston W. Campbell, III, M.D., executive vice president for medical affairs of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “A significant reduction in cough frequency would be of real value to patients.”

The study was designed to assess cough frequency as a measure of clinical benefit. Quantitative measurement was achieved using a new technology, the VivoMetrics® LifeShirt®, which integrates cough signals from chest wall motion transducers and a throat microphone and stores the data for computer analysis. FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second) and FVC (forced vital capacity)—key measures of lung function—were assessed by spirometry, and patients completed a symptom survey.